


Welcome Home, My Love

by Mignon3tte



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mother Hen Eiji, Multi, Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-10-14 23:48:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20609372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mignon3tte/pseuds/Mignon3tte
Summary: Exactly what it says on the tin. Eiji takes care of you after a long, hard day.





	Welcome Home, My Love

**Author's Note:**

> Something to read when you're feeling down and need somebody to take care of you.

You arrive at the front door of your apartment with sore feet and tight shoulders. It was the longest, most stressful day of your life. Or at least it felt that way. First you overslept, and then just getting out of bed was a struggle. Then, you had to deal with public transit and the paranoia of prying eyes. The awful pressure pushing down on your shoulders all day did not help either. It seemed as though you only got relief from it when asleep, but sleeping wasn’t an option while you were away from home. Besides, it wasn’t like you would ever be able to get a break.

You patted your back pocked for your keys and realized they weren’t there. You checked your other pocket and found nothing was there either. Muttering a soft curse to yourself, you reached into your bad and began blindly searching. You had your entire forearm plunged into your bag before you finally found them, stuck under one of your enormous binders. You pull them out, wincing slightly when your arm hair snags on the zipper. You make a note to cuss out your bag later on. The keys fit into the lock and after a bit of fiddling, the door opens. You are instantly greeted with a wave of warmth. A dog barks, and you hear the _pat-pat-pat_ of its paws on the hardwood floor. And then, a soft voice calls out to you.

“Y/N!”

Hearing that voice makes your tense shoulders relax slightly. You take a deep breath and begin toeing off your shoes. The dog, who you know as Buddy, comes loping around the corner, tail wagging and tongue hanging out of his mouth. He runs up to you and you kneel down, using both hands to ruffle the fur on his sides. He gives you a few licks and you scrunch up your face. When you manage to push him away, your eyes focus on the other person in the room: your beloved. Eiji.

“Y/N, _Okaeri_,” he says sweetly. You simply look at him for a few moments, and then stand up straight.

“_Tadaima_,” you say, and his smile widens. He walks over to you and helps you out of your coat.

As he takes your coat to the closet, he asks you, “How was your day?”

You take a deep breath and weigh your response. Of course, you could take the easy route and just tell him it was good. It’s the response that is readily prepared and frequently used. Or, you could tell him how it really went. You could tell him how you really feel; how you feel like today was the worst day of your life and like you barely got anything done. You could tell him how your negative thoughts just wouldn’t stop and how hard it made doing something as simple as breathing. Apparently though, the delay in your response was all Eiji needed to know.

He turns to you and fixes you with that knowing look that always takes your breath away. His eyes are warm and understanding. He walks back up to you and puts a gentle hand on your arm.

“Let’s get you something to eat,” he says. “You are hungry, no?”

Truth be told, you had forgotten your own hunger. You managed to actually eat lunch today, but you didn’t taste any of it. It was more to silence your stomach than to enjoy a food break. Now that you were home, you realized just how hungry—and thirsty—you were. Eiji guides you into the kitchen with a hand on your lower back. Buddy follows, occasionally nudging at your feet.

You sit down at the table and immediately hunch over. The warmth of the apartment is finally starting to seep into your muscles and lull you into a sedated consciousness.

“Did you turn up the thermostat?” You ask Eiji. He hums in response.

“I did. It’s awfully cold outside, isn’t it? I think it might snow soon.”

He places a steaming cup of tea in front of you. You wrap your hands around it and let the warmth bring your fingers to life. As you bring the cup to your lips, you inhale the earthy scent, and then enjoy the flavor of _genmaicha_.

You get lost in the tea for so long that it takes Eiji’s hand on your upper back to bring you out of your reverie. He fixes you with a knowing smile, his eyes squinting slightly, searching for a moment. Before you sits a spread of noodles, broth, steaming hot vegetables, and rice. Eiji sits next to you with his own mug of tea. The two of you sit in companionable silence while you eat. You revel in the warm environment where you don’t feel pressured to make conversation. Eiji never pushed you to talk; he simply allows you to process everything from your day. Despite the lack of what you bring to the figurative table, Eiji always seems perfectly content to simply be with you. Unfortunately, that thought pushes you dangerously close to another spiral.

“You didn’t have to do all this,” you say to him.

“I know I do not have to, but I want to, because I love you,” Eiji says. You sigh and smirk slightly; his response was perfect as always. Exactly what you needed to hear. Just a reminder that he values _you_ and not your assets.

As you begin slowing down with your meal, you rest your head on one hand and close your eyes. Eiji places a hand on your back and slowly rubs it up and down.

“You did a wonderful job today,” he says quietly. “I’m proud of you for getting through the day.”

You can’t hold back a snort that draws from you. You barely did anything to day. You spent most of the day in a state of executive dysfunction, staring at your computer screen, staring at papers, and then panicking whenever you looked at the clock. Your supervisor told you about a few errors in your most recent work, and that sent you into a terrible spiral. You didn’t have much time to make edits on it, and seeing them so displeased made you fear for your job security. If anything, today was a failure.

“I know that some days it is very hard to get out of bed and do things. The fact that you did that is something to be proud of. Not all days are going to be fruitful. Sometimes the best you can do is get through it alive and then come home,” Eiji says. He leans his head on your shoulder and you instinctively lean into it. His hair smells like strawberries and vanilla. You want to hear him talk more.

He sits up and takes your hand in both of his. “Would you like a bath?”

You don’t want to bother Eiji for anything more, but the idea of a warm bath sounds too heavenly to pass up. You nod weakly, and then manage to add, “Yes, please.” Eiji lightly bonks his head against yours and then leaves the room.

“Don’t worry about the dishes,” he calls from the hallway, “I will take care of them.”

You feel much too tired to protest, and you know that you would never win the argument anyway, so you go back to your meal.

Eiji pops his head in a few minutes later and asks, “What do you want in your bath?”

You turn around to face him and scratch your head in thought. Your shared collection of bath products runs through your mind.

“Bath bomb,” you decide. Eiji nods and gives you a wink before disappearing again.

Eiji calls for you later, announcing that your bath is ready. You make your way down the hall to the bathroom and realize just how sore your feet are. The bathroom is wonderfully warm and humid. The mirrors are all fogged up. Eiji is putting a towel and some folded clothes on the counter when you enter.

“It’s all ready for you,” he says with a smile. He turns back to the counter, occupying himself with the mess of bottles to protect your modesty. You find it cute that he still does that, especially since you have been together for so long. You could never feel threatened or uncomfortable around him. When you are nude around him, you have no shame. He never ogles or stares, or if he does stare, his eyes are filled with nothing but love. You strip out of your clothes and step into the tub. The water is the perfect temperature: hot but not too hot. And the sweet, floral fragrance from the bath bomb fills the air. You can’t help but moan as you sink down into the purple water. It’s wonderful.

Eiji pads over and dips a hand towel into the water, and then places the towel on your shoulders. You blink in surprise when he begins kneading out the knots.

“Y-you don’t have to do that, you know,” you say, a bit consternated.

Eiji freezes and you almost whine at the loss of the pleasurable feeling. “Do you not want me to?”

“No-I mean yes, I like it,” you fumble with your words.

Eiji chuckles softly, one of your favorite sounds. The kneading on your shoulders resumes.

He begins to hum a tune and his voice echoes in the room, bouncing off the walls and filling the humid air. The warm water, the massage, and the lullaby are enough to put you to sleep. A feeling of comfort and accomplishment washes over any negativity that chilled you throughout the day.

The humming stops and Eiji says, “Would you like me to wash your hair?”

You shake your head. “No, I don’t wanna have to worry about drying it.”

“I could dry it for you,” Eiji says.

“You don’t have to do any more for me,” you say, “You’ve done enough.”

There is a brief pause where Eiji says nothing.

“I’ll do everything for you,” he says, his voice almost too quiet to hear.

Despite the exhaustion, you feel a bit argumentative. “You should rest too. You’re always doing stuff for me.”

Eiji shushes you. “You make me happy, and I take care of you because when you are happy, I am happy,” he says and then presses a kiss into your hair.

You frown slightly at that. His logic is faulty, but before you can voice your thoughts, he stands up and makes for the door.

“You clothes and favorite lotion is on the counter. We can watch a movie before bed if you would like.” He leaves the bathroom before you can say anything more.

You spend a few more minutes in the warm water and then decide to get out before you actually fall asleep. Your fingers were starting to prune anyway.

You put on your favorite lotion and your pajamas. They’re soft against your skin and you once again remind yourself to ask Eiji how he manages to make all of your clothes so soft.

You do end up watching a movie in bed together, but you fall asleep halfway through, your face nuzzled into his chest and his fingers in your hair.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on twitter @Ichigopeachy


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